I try for a new topic, lighter and more playful. “Did you see Kayleigh at the graduation reception? She looked different.” I leave out the rest: thinner, wired, eyes a little too bright.
Kent smirks. “Yeah, I noticed. She ran up and hugged you like you were about to be shot to the moon.”
“She’s obsessed with someone new,” I say. “It’s all she’s talked about for weeks. Except—” I lower my voice, even though there’s no one else here to overhear. “Okay, maybe he’s not exactly a new guy. It’s her stepbrother. Her mom just got re-married, and Kayleigh is obsessed with this dude.”
Kent’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really. Your stepsister’s hellbent on hooking up with her stepbrother? Isn’t that a little too close for comfort?”
I give him a look, sharp enough to stop him in his tracks. “Yeah, but we shouldn’t judge, Kent. I mean, we were stepfather and stepdaughter not so long ago, so it’s basically the pot calling the kettle black.”
He takes it, point blank, and doesn’t even flinch. “Fair,” he says, and I can tell he’s actually pleased. He likes being called out on his shit by me, says it keeps him in line.
“But Kayleigh’s also insane,” I add with a smile. “I think she’s been taking nude photos of herself, and well, I think she accidentally sent him one or two.”
Kent stares at me.
“For real?”
I nod.
“And they’re not exactly the tasteful kind either. She showed me one of them by accident. It was aggressive. The kind with wet panties and mechanical toys.”
Kent laughs, then stops himself, then laughs again. “Do you think he’ll go for it?”
I shrug, folding my arms over the gown. “He’s some billionaire playboy, Kent. He probably has a stable of Instagram models lined up for every day of the week.”
He nods, conceding the point. “Yeah, those dudes are a barrel of monkeys with no morals either. They’ll fuck anything, and especially if she’s young and hot. But when the right woman comes along, he’ll reform,” he says, stroking one finger across my bottom lip as his blue eyes go soft. “Look what happened to me. I’m basically a lapdog at this point.”
I giggle but then my laughter dies and I stare at him, the man who ruined me for every other man, and realize he actually believes that. The alpha male is ruthless, charismatic, and powerful, but around me, he turns into a softie with a heart of gold, always ready to help me and support me in any way that I need. The knowledge makes me soft inside, like someone just replaced my bones with the petals of the lilies by the front door.
There’s a long, slow pause. The sun outside has all but given up; the shadows in the foyer are thick as oil, and the only light comes from the glass chandelier above the stairs, its facets throwing yellow diamonds across the floor.
I step closer to the handsome male, until the tips of our shoes are almost touching. The air trembles with awareness. He’s still watching me, not blinking, not breathing. I take his hands in mine, folding them together, and let the silence hang.
“Do you want to know the real reason I made you skip the graduation festivities after the ceremony?” I whisper.
He grins, and there’s that wolfish glint I’ve loved since the day he first called me his.
“I can guess,” he says, voice rough. “Let me think—the champagne they were serving is no good.”
I shake my head, hair brushing his sleeve. “You’re not even close.”
I stand on my tiptoes, pulling him down by the lapel of his suit, and kiss him once, soft and slow.
“Go upstairs,” I say. “I have a surprise for you.”
He pulls me back before I can leave, kisses my temple, and murmurs, “You never have to surprise me, Mary Kate. I love you exactly how you are.”
My voice is thick when I answer. “I want to anyway.”
I watch him climb the stairs, two at a time, his broad back swallowing the distance. The echo of his steps fades, and I’m left alone in the honey-lit foyer.
The lilies on the table are in full bloom now, their petals wide and open. I touch one, and it shivers, shedding a speck of gold dust onto my wrist.
I close my eyes, and for a moment, I let myself believe the future is something I can hold.
Then I follow him up the stairs, one slow step at a time.
He’s waiting for me at the landing, jacket gone, shirt sleeves rolled to the elbow, hair in that perfect state between mussed and tame. He’s sprawled against the banister like a man who has nowhere to go and all night to get there. My heart hammers so hard I swear it’s going to punch through my chest and ricochet down the stairs.
